Videology Adds TV; Gannett Does Better Than Expected

Videology wants to support television buys. Though the firm’s main focus has been on the Internet video marketplace, advertisers and agencies are increasingly coordinating their web and TV budgets. It says 50% of revenue now comes from TV budgets. “Marketers are interested in holistic planning,” said CEO Scott Ferber. “They are saying, ‘Can I bring the addressability of Internet advertising to TV?’ The rubber is hitting the road in convergence. So we think we need a group of individuals dedicated to the current needs of TV advertisers and the future.” More.

Gannett’s Digital Road Map

Gannett reported better than expected earnings on Monday, with net revenue of $136.3 million but digital revenue growth was relatively weak at 4%. The buyout of Cars.com in August may help with that. Gannett’s “geodigital” efforts, dubbed Key Ring, could also play a role in spurring digital growth. Read the earnings report.

Ready Set Snap

Over the weekend, Snapchat’s long-awaited first ad made its debut. The ephemeral messaging company opted for a less “native” route than anticipated, launching its ad efforts instead with a 20-second movie trailer for Universal Pictures’ “Ouija.” “We don't know what the metrics are going to be,” Universal Pictures digital marketing VP Doug Neil told Ad Age. “It's not much different than a traditional linear-viewing experience when you think about it. We put an ad in a primetime TV show; when the ad's over, you don't see it again.” Though valued at $10 billion, Snapchat admitted in a Friday blog post, “We need to make money.”

Staq Raises $2.5M

Ad ops startup Staq closed a $2.5 million round led by Genacast Ventures and Core Capital. The company is led by execs from Rubicon Project, Collective Media and DoubleClick. “We've automated the last mile of ad operations, with programmatic reporting and analytics," said CEO James Curran.The promise is to aggregate and normalize data from different systems, and to help manage revenue from indirect and direct sources. Read the press release.

Twitter’s App ‘Hooks’

WSJ has some details on Twitter’s rumored app developer platform, called “Fabric.” According to people familiar with the offering, the offering aims to ease how developers access analytics, fix bugs and make a buck. “It is about relationship-building,” said Ryan Sarver, a partner at venture-capital firm Redpoint Ventures and Twitter’s former director of platform. “If you start by offering services that are globally interesting to mobile developers and not just ones that are interested in traditional Twitter data, you can build a better relationship with more developers and introduce more of them to Twitter by delivering them value right away.” Read on.